Notebook: Bradley (4 Back) In The Hunt; Mahan Disappointed With 71

CROMWELL —– Keegan Bradley finished the second round of the Travelers Championship with a 65 on Friday, which put him in a four-way tie for eighth (134). But the 2011 PGA Championship winner said that his round could have been better and that he wants to finish higher this weekend.

He made birdies on the second, third and fourth holes, and after nine, he was 6 under. He hit 10 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens and had 29 total putts, compared with 34 in the first round.

"I finally made a few putts, even though I missed a hundred, too, but [Friday] was better," Bradley said. "I had a good stretch of holes there in the middle."

Bradley birdied the 17th and 18th holes and said the round gives him momentum. He hit 32 of 36 greens in the first two rounds. He is four strokes behind leader Bubba Watson

"I was bumming at this time last week," said Bradley, a Vermont native who missed the cut at the U.S. Open. "But I'm really happy to be here in New England and hopefully give it a run during the weekend."

Mind Games For Mahan

Hunter Mahan didn't hit many good shots, and that bothered him. He was equally disappointed in what went on in his mind between those shots.

"Just silly, how I thought and how I felt out there," Mahan said after a 1-over 71 that followed his opening round of 8-under 62. "It's not how I want to play, and that's what's upsetting. Physically, you're going to make mistakes. That's just golf. But I didn't put myself in a good state. I have to change a lot of things, do a lot better, but I'm still in the tournament."

Mahan is at 7-under 133, part of a four-way tie for fourth and three shots behind Watson. Mahan had two birdies and three bogeys, but he kept himself in contention heading into Round 3 because of a few par-saving putts.

"It was really bad," said Mahan, who acknowledged but didn't blame Friday's stronger wind. "I made a few putts. I hit it OK near the end. I didn't have many good looks for birdies. I didn't hit it close to the hole. I was putting 40-footers all day."

Mahan was the 2007 champion, part of a fantastic four-year run that included ties for second in 2006 and 2008 and a tie for fourth in 2009. "We have a lot of golf left and you never know what can happen, especially on this golf course, which lends itself to a lot of birdies," he said. "I feel like I can play well on this golf course."

Tebowing In Cromwell

After Watson signed his card, he talked some golf and then some football. He's a friend of Tim Tebow, who recently signed with the Patriots.

"I think it's good," Watson said. "Maybe he'll start over Tom Brady."

Watson laughed.

"I just had to say that," he continued. "Sorry, Tim."

Watson and Tebow are known for being vocal about their religious beliefs.

"I think when you look at Tim as a man, you're looking at a leader, a role model, gracious in defeat, gracious in winning," said Watson, who won the Travelers Championship in 2010 and the Masters in 2012. "I think you can learn a lot from him. I think the locker room gets stronger with a guy like Tim, and I think that's what teams are looking at. They're looking at what he can do for the team."

Hockey Talk

UConn hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh made an early appearance to support James Driscoll. Cavanaugh walked nine holes with Driscoll's brother Tim — one of a handfull of Driscoll family members in attendance — and left just after 9 a.m. to continue house hunting in the Hartford area.

"I was down here, so I shot him a text and he left me a ticket," said Cavanaugh, the former Boston College assistant coach who is longtime friends with several Driscolls, a hockey-playing family from Boston. "I've seen him play at a few tournaments. The hockey world is so small."

Tim Driscoll played hockey at Princeton. Another brother and Cavanaugh friend, Paul Driscoll, played at Boston College. James Driscoll shot 68-73—141 and missed the cut of 140.

Simpson Fades Late

Webb Simpson was getting stronger as Round 2 progressed, then came the 17th and 18th. He finished with a 69 (134), but bogeyed the last two holes. "It was a totally different golf course, I've actually played here a bunch of times and I've never seen it that firm. I played so well all day, so solid, and held it together," he said. "I didn't really make a mistake coming in, except you can't hit it on the green at 17; 18 was just a poor drive. Overall, I'm in good shape."